Leeds riots: Viral video shows bus being set on fire amid unrest in UK city

A video ofprotesters overturning a police vehicle and setting a double-decker bus on fire is making rounds on social media. The video came after major riots broke out in Leeds, United Kingdom.

When theofficersarrived, they "found an ongoing disturbance which involved some agency workers and some children," said the local police.As a crowd began to gather, the officers moved the agency workers and children to a safer location.

However, the situation worsened, and "pockets of disorder" emerged in the area, said the police. Social media posts seemingly showed a large crowd on the street, a police car overturned, and a bus set on fire.

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Reports suggest that the riots began after a protest over social services separating four children from a family. This was after one of the children had been hospitalised for an injury caused by a sibling.

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The local media reported that the hospital informed social services about the incident, resulting in the children's removal from the family and triggering protests.

Police arrived to find a disturbance in progress. By 9:00 pm (local time), no uniformed officers were visible at the main disturbance site, but a police helicopter was monitoring the situation from above.

Yorkshire police said they would conduct athorough investigation into all criminal activities, including property damage caused by fires, and stressed their commitment to accountability.

"We want to emphasise that those responsible will face the full consequences of the law," said the police.

Tom Riordan, the chief executive of Leeds City Council, reported that calm was restored by around 1:00 am (local time), and cleanup efforts have already begun.

"There was a family incident earlier in the day that the police attended and our officials attended that a lot of the community got concerned about," Riordan explained in an interview with the BBC.

"And that appeared to be the trigger of concern for groups of people being concerned about what had happened."

Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, thanked emergency services in a social media post and urged those escalating tensions to reconsider their actions. She also mentioned that no serious injuries had been reported.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper condemned the violence, emphasisingthat such disorder is not acceptable in society.

Councillor Salma Arif of Gipton and Harehills asked people to stay indoors in a video statement, stating that police were handling the matter. "There is an ongoing situation currently in Harehills, we’re aware of that so police are here. We are asking everybody in the area to please stay at home at this moment in time," said Arif.

(With inputs from agencies)